Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Update: Newsletter's Web Site is now Fixed

I am back on dry land and am in Los Angeles tonight. I spent some time online and did fix the earlier problem with this newsletter's web site.

A few of the pages that are protected by Plus Edition user names and passwords were not working. Trying to access those pages produced a MySQL error. MySQL is the database that keeps track of user names, passwords and other critical information on the site. The problem has now been corrected and appears to be operating properly. Please let me know if you encounter any future problems.

I appreciate your patience.

- Dick Eastman

New York State Marriage Records, 1908-1935

Newsletter reader Dick Hillenbrand sent a note that I thought I would share with everyone:

I just posted a blog about New York State Marriage Records, 1908-1935.  This is a grouping of records that has always been open to viewing and thought that some of your readers might be interested.

2007 BYU Computerized Genealogy Conference Call for Papers

The following announcement was written by the organizers of the 2007 BYU Computerized Genealogy Conference:

Lecture proposals are now being accepted for the 2007 Brigham Young University Computerized Genealogy Conference which will be held Friday, 16 March, and Saturday, 17 March 2007 at the Conference Center, BYU campus, Provo, Utah. Each lecture period will be 60 minutes, including questions and answers. All presenters are expected to use PowerPoint slide presentations and/or Internet. Conferences and Workshops will provide PC lap top computers with wireless Internet connection. Speakers should plan to bring their PowerPoint slide show on a flash drive, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM. Please be sure to also bring a backup of your presentation.

Problem with newsletter's web site

There seems to be as problem with this newsletter's web site. A few of the pages that are protected by Plus Edition user names and passwords are not working. Trying to access those pages produces a MySQL error. MySQL is the databse that keeps track of user names, passwords and other critical information on the site.

The hosting service that provides the web server for www.eogn.com has been notified by e-mail and voice mail and (hopefully) is working on it.

For me, this could not happen at a worse time. I am on a cruise ship in the Pacific Ocean, west of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Mexico. Several of us are giving presentations to 400 or so genealogists on Wholly Genes Software's "genealogy theme cruise." Internet access from the cruise ship costs 50 cents a minute for a very, very slow connection via satellite. Telephone calls cost $9.00 a minute and all I could do was leave a voice mail for the hosting company's support department. (sigh)

I hope this will be resolved shortly (or else I will be switching to a new hosting service when I return home next week). I will post a message here when things return to normal.

I appreciate your patience.

- Dick Eastman

Irish Genealogy Podcasts

Genealogy podcasts seem to be popping up everywhere and for good reasons. These audio “broadcasts” are great for conveying certain types of information. Now  Michael C. O'Laughlin, a world-famous Irish genealogist and author, has created what is believed to be the first Irish genealogy podcast. You can now listen to Michael describe “how to do it right.”

Problem with this web site

There seems to be as problem with this newsletter's web site. A few of the pages that are protected by Plus Edition user names and passwords are not working. Trying to access those pages produces a MySQL error. MySQL is the databse that keeps track of user names, passwords and other critical information on the site.

The hosting service that provides the web server for www.eogn.com has been notified by e-mail and voice mail and (hopefully) is working on it.

For me, this could not happen at a worse time. I am on a cruise ship in the Pacific Ocean, west of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Mexico. Several of us are giving presentations to 400 or so genealogists on Wholly Genes Software's "genealogy theme cruise." Internet access from the cruise ship costs 50 cents a minute for a very, very slow connection via satellite. Telephone calls cost $9.00 a minute and all I could do was leave a voice mail for the hosting company's support department. (sigh)

I hope this will be resolved shortly (or else I will be switching to a new hosting service when I return home next week). I will post a message here when things return to normal.

I appreciate your patience.

- Dick Eastman

Researchers Feel the Pinch Of National Archives Cuts

As predicted in this newsletter for weeks, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration has now drastically curtailed its evening and weekend hours, a move that will make life tougher for thousands of authors, historians and other researchers.

The Archives is the chief repository for federal records. Faced with rising costs, Chief Archivist Allen Weinstein and senior staff reduced the hours that research rooms are open by a third at both the Archives building on Pennsylvania Avenue NW and the massive Archives II center in College Park. The changes took effect Oct. 2.

Biographical History of North Carolina from Colonial Times to the Present

I must say that I love Google Books! It is amazing what you can find there.

I have often written book review of printed books and of books on CD-ROM disks. In fact, many of the CD-ROM disks are "electronic reprints" of old books. However, today I thought I would describe an "electronic reprint" that is available online. Biographical History of North Carolina from Colonial Times to the Present, written in 1905 by C.L. Van Noppen, is a great work for anyone researching North Carolina ancestry. Now every word of it is available online. Best of all, you can download the entire book at no charge and then view it again and again.

Legacy Family Tree Danish Edition is Released

The following is an announcement written by Millennia Corporation:

Surprise, Arizona, November 9, 2006 – Millennia Corporation, a leader in family history software, today announced the release of the Danish language edition of Legacy Family Tree.

The software, used by beginners and professionals to record, plan, and share their  family trees, is now the premier choice for Danish researchers.

Richmond Civil War Newspaper now Online

The following is an announcement from the University of Richmond:

Through support from an IMLS grant and in collaboration with Project Perseus at Tufts University, the University of Richmond has digitized the Richmond Daily Dispatch newspaper for the Civil War years.  The project is not yet complete.  However the newspaper is now available for use and exploration.  Please bring it to the attention of faculty who study or teach about the Civil War era at your school or college. 

Ancestry.com Offers Free Access to Immigration Collection

Earlier today I posted the new announcement by Ancestry.com describing the company's new online Immigration Collection database. I will repeat the third sentence of that announcement:

To commemorate the launch of the collection, Ancestry.com is offering completely free access to its entire Immigration Collection through the end of November.

Places in Canada

Have you looked for online maps of towns or other named places in Canada? You may have found that the most popular Canadian mapping site, "Geographical Names of Canada," has very detailed place names but only has low resolution maps when compared to today's other online mapping services. Of course, you can look at the maps on the other services, but they are not as good at finding place names, especially of the smaller villages. Now a free online service combines the best of both worlds: data from the "Geographical Names of Canada" plus much better maps from Google Maps, Live Local, MapQuest, and Yahoo! Maps.

Memorial Service for Ryan Taylor

The following was written  by Louise St Denis:

A memorial service is planned for Ryan Taylor. Here are the details:

Saturday, 2 December 2006
3:00 to 5:00pm
University of Toronto,
Continuing Education, Claude T. Bissel Building
140 St. George Street, Room 728, Toronto.

Ancestry.com Releases the World's Largest Online Collection of U.S. Historical Immigration Records

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.com:

More Than 100 Million Names on All Readily Available U.S. Passenger Lists From 1820 - 1960; Includes the Complete Ellis Island Collection, as Well as Records From Over 100 Other U.S. Ports of Arrival

I Wuz Robbed!

Someone stole my laptop computer last week. It disappeared from the trunk of my car while I had dinner with a couple of businessmen discussing their new genealogy site that will go online soon. Naturally, I am angry about the loss. It was a high-end laptop. In other words, it was expensive. While I lost the computer, I didn't lose any data.

I have written many times about making backups in case of various disasters. Luckily, I practice what I preach: just a few minutes before powering off the laptop, the laptop automatically performed a backup to an online web service. I put it into its carrying case, and stored it in the trunk of my car. The morning after the theft, I restored all the laptop's data to a temporary folder on my desktop computer. When I receive my replacement laptop, I will copy the data to it. While the theft certainly is inconvenient, I am continuing in business with no data loss.

Tom Stockham Joins Board of Directors at Prosper, Inc.

Many people in the genealogy business know Tom Stockham, the former CEO of MyFamily.com. Those who know him may be interested in this announcement written by Prosper, Inc.:

PROVO, Utah, Nov. 8, 2006 -- Prosper, Inc. recently announced that Tom Stockham, former CEO of MyFamily.com and Ticketmaster has joined their Board of Directors.

Tom Stockham joined Prosper, Inc.'s Board of Directors to help steer the company toward greater success amongst their students and employees. He remarked, "I hope to be a key member of the company's leadership team as we create the single most influential company in helping individuals grow their personal market capital."

Roots Television adds shows in honor of Veterans Day

In honor of Veterans Day which is fast approaching in the U.S. (on 11/11), Roots Television has added a collection of shows with a military theme. Freshly added under the New! and Military Roots tabs under the Roots Living category, you'll find:

MyFamily.com Aims To Shake More Profit From Family Trees

Writing in Investor's Business Daily, Patrick Seitz says, "The leading genealogy Web site company, MyFamily.com, is looking to expand beyond its base of hard-core genealogists and attract more mainstream folks interested in their family history.

The privately held company based in Provo, Utah, has 830,000 subscribers to its online services, mostly to Ancestry.com. MyFamily plans a big advertising push starting in January. It expects to spend about $10 million on TV and radio ads next year, its first such ads."

Family History Workshops for the Deaf?

A reader asked a question on the newsletter's web site recently that I could not answer. Can anyone else help?

The question is: "In trying to locate links to the Family History for the Deaf, I simply am returned to here. Is there no other information available that you know of? I am deaf. I am trying to locate and identify other deaf genealogists, and to learn how or IF they react with hearing genealogists."

Any suggestions? If so, please post your message in the comments area below these words.

Dick Benson Wins 2006 Donald Lines Jacobus Award

The following announcement was written by the American Society of Genealogists:

The 2006 Donald Lines Jacobus Award has been presented to Richard H. Benson for The Read Family of Salem, Massachusetts. This book is an excellent example of what the careful family historian can produce. It is scholarly, yet at the same time reader-friendly account of descendants of Thomas Read, who was at Salem in 1636, for five generations. It then continues with separate sections on two of the descendants and on two probably unrelated men named William Read/Reed.